Apparatus and Method for Fair Message Exchanges in Distributed Multi-Player Games

1. A method of providing a fair exchanging of messages to players in a distributed multi-player game, the distributed multi-player game using a game server configured for generating update messages for the players and receiving action messages from the players, the method comprising the steps of: propagating a plurality of update messages generated by the game server, wherein the update messages are intended for a player; receiving an action message generated by the player, wherein the action message comprises a plurality of reaction times associated with the respective plurality of update messages intended for the player, wherein, for each of the update messages, the associated reaction time is indicative of a time difference between a reception of the update message at the player and transmission of the action message by the player; and queuing the action message for processing by the game server, wherein the action message is queued using the reaction times included within the action message, wherein queuing the action message for processing by the game server comprises: for each of the reaction times included in the action message: identifying an update message with which the reaction time is associated; identifying a queue associated with the identified update message with which the reaction time is associated; and queuing the action message within the identified queue using the reaction time.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving the update messages from the game server at a server proxy associated with the game server; and propagating the update messages from the server proxy toward the player.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the action message is generated by the player, wherein the action message comprises a plurality of tuples associated with the respective plurality of reaction times, wherein each tuple comprises an identification of an update message and an associated reaction time calculated for the update message.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reaction times are calculated by a player proxy associated with the player, and inserted into the action message by the player proxy when the player proxy receives the action message from the player.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reaction times are calculated by a player proxy associated with the player, wherein the reaction times are calculated by a method comprising: receiving the update messages at the player proxy; determining, for each of the update messages, the reception time of the update message; receiving the action message at the player proxy; determining the reception time of the action message; and for each of the update messages, calculating the reaction time for the update message using a difference between the reception time of the action message and the reception time of the update message.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: propagating, toward a player proxy associated with the player, an indication of a window of update messages for which the game server is still accepting action messages from the players.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the action message is queued such that actions message are arranged in an order of increasing update message number and are further arranged for each update message in an order of increasing reaction time.

8. A method of providing a fair exchange of messages to players of a distributed multi-player game, the distributed multi-player game using a game server configured for generating update messages for the players and receiving action messages from the players, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a plurality of update messages generated by the game server and intended for the player; receiving an action message generated by the player and intended for the game server; calculating, for each of the update messages, a reaction time for the respective update message, wherein, for each of the update messages, the associated reaction time is indicative of a time difference between a reception of the update message at the player and transmission of the action message by the player; updating the action message to include the reaction times for the respective update messages; and propagating, toward the game server, the updated action message including the reaction times for the respective update messages; wherein the updated action message including the reaction times is adapted for use in queuing the action message for processing by the game server, wherein queuing the action message for processing by the game server comprises, for each of the reaction times included in the action message: identifying an update message with which the reaction time is associated, identifying a queue associated with the identified update message with which the reaction time is associated, and queuing the action message within the identified queue using the reaction time.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the action message comprises a plurality of tuples associated with the respective plurality of reaction times, wherein each tuple comprises an identification of an update message and an associated reaction time calculated for the update message.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein calculating the reactions times for the update messages comprises: determining, for each of the update messages, a reception time of the update message; determining a reception time of the action message; and for each of the update messages, calculating the reaction time for the update message using a difference between the reception time of the action message and the reception time of the update message.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of received update messages for which the respective reaction times are calculated comprises a subset of update messages from a set of update messages generated for the player since an action message was last received from the player, wherein calculating the reaction times for the update messages comprises: identifying, from the set of update message generated for the player since an action message was last received from the player, the update messages in the subset of update messages; and for each of the identified update messages in the subset of update messages, calculating the reaction time for the respective update message.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the update messages in the subset of update messages are identified using a window of update messages, wherein the window of update messages identifies update messages for which the game server is still accepting action messages from the players.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising: receiving, at a player proxy associated with the player, an indication of a window of update messages for which the game server is still accepting action messages from the players.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the action message including the reaction times is propagated toward a game proxy associated with the game server.